Disclosure: This post is part of a hosted stay. All opinions are 100% my own. Living with Amanda was invited to stay at Great Wolf Lodge New England in order to bring you this review.
This was not our first family vacation at Great Wolf Lodge and it definitely will not be our last. Our reservations were made a couple months in advance, but I didn’t tell my kids until the morning of our trip. My son is five and began putting the pieces of the puzzle together, but bursted with excitement when I finally told him. I definitely get just as excited as him and love every single visit we have had.
We were invited to attend Great Wolf Lodge New England as a media guest. They let us try out the entire lodge and all of their offerings in order to share an overview for your stay. The kids received the Wolf passes, which I highly recommend. In the past, it has been challenging to fit in all of the activities with a one night stay, so this time we stated two nights and it was perfect. The kids still had a hard time leaving and so did I. it is definitely such a magical place to be and with everything on-site, you cannot beat the convenience with little kids.
What to Pack
I packed all the necessities you would need for your typical family vacation. With that said, the resort offers towels and swimmies as well as life preservers. After you are done with the waterpark, you simply return the towels to the appropriate station and can be given dry ones when you return.
This place is incredible and they have all of the amenities you will need. It is the largest family fun waterpark in New England.
Check-in
You can arrive at the resort earlier then your room check-in time where you can have all-access to the resort and waterpark. They have lockers infant of the waterpark and dressing rooms with showers.
Once your room is ready, you will receive a text message and you can make your way to the front counter. At reception, they will provide you with wrist bands that give you access to the waterpark. The adults wrist bands act as a key to your room. You will provide a credit card upon check-in and all of your food, drinks and souvenirs can be charged to your room.
The kids (3 and over) receive a wrist band as well, but does not have the ability to open your resort room. Children 3 and younger do not need to wear a band and they also eat free of charge at the restaurants.
Tip: Don’t forget your ears at the gift shop. Parents can wear them too! They are a perfect addition to all of your family photos. Don’t forget to tell them if it is your birthday. They will give you a birthday pin that gives you some added perks throughout your stay.
Dining at Great Wolf Lodge
You have the option to add a meal plan onto your stay. With that said, each room also comes with a refrigerator so you can pack snacks, lunch and special meals. This is also a huge perk for breastfeeding moms so you do not need to worry about milk storage. .
There are multiple restaurants to choose from at Great Wolf Lodge New England and everything is on-site. You can select from a sit down restaurant or food to go. We choose to have Breakfast and Dinner at Lodge Wood Fired Grill. Breakfast is served buffet style (omelet bar, bacon, waffles, granola, fresh fruit, yogurt). For dinner, you can choose from buffet or a full-service menu. The buffet includes a carving station and for the kids (mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, fresh fruit).
Honestly, who can go wrong… you aren’t making dinner and you don’t have to clean up. That in itself is amazing to me.
Dunkin Donuts: When you are running around with the kids, we all need to run on Dunkin’. They open at 6:30am and every parent is lined up to get their caffeine.
Purchase a pizza and salad at Hungry as a Wolf and bring it back to the waterpark for the family to enjoy.
Wine Down Service: Place an order for wine and a meat platter to be delivered to your room for after the kids go to sleep. We have ordered this and it is amazing. Tip: Be sure to order it before 8PM.
Tip: Make reservations. No matter what day it is (weekday or weekend) Great Wolf Lodge is always busy and you need to make breakfast and dinner reservations.
Attractions and Activities
Wolf Pass: A must-buy pass, especially if your stay will be more then one night. This pass pays for itself and keeps the kids entertained. We went to MagiQuest for the wand, which can be used throughout your stay. We split all of the activities across the three days we were there.
- One MagiQuest game
- Choice of classic or color wand
- One Cup of Candy
- One round of Howl at the Moon Mini Golf (9 holes)
- One game of bowling at Ten Paw Alley
- One admission to Howlers Peak Ropes Course (must wear shoes with a back!)
- One Paw Points game card ($10)
- One climb at Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall
- One pair of Great Wolf swim goggles
- One scoop of Bear Paw Ice Cream
- One experience at the Howly Wood XD Theater
Some the events you can’t miss are:
- Wake up with Wiley to morning yoga
- Character Appearances
- PJ party with the Great Wolf Kids
- Dance Party
- Story Time
- The Forrest Friends Show
- Balloon Animals
- Button Making
- Face Painting
Tip: Coordinating pajamas and slippers are really cute for the kids. My son loves to partake in the dance party and then the forrest show in his pajamas. I would definitely try for a 5/5:30 dinner reservation so you beat the crowd for dinner and are able to enjoy in the nights activities.
Three Days, Two Nights is Ideal
This is the first time we have stayed for two nights and it was ideal. In the past, we have only stayed one night and it was a lot to pack all of the kids for such a short period of time. We were able to have use of the waterpark for three days.
Upon check-in, you will be given an agenda for your stay. It will outline events that will be taking place along with the time and location for the event. You can wake up and partake in yoga with your children. There are character appearances throughout the day and are great for photo ops.
Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask one of the attendants to take the photos for you so your entire family can be in it.
We visited Great Wolf Lodge New England, but there are 18 properties across the US and Canada! We drove in on Friday morning and the fun started as soon as we arrived and didn’t stop until Sunday afternoon! My kids started crying on the way home because they didn’t want to leave. My son asked if we could come back “tomorrow” and it would be fine if he missed school. I am already planning for our next stay and can’t wait to surprise the kids again.
Thank you
Thank you so much Great Wolf Lodge New England. You continue to make our stay one to remember each time we visit. We have precious memories there that we will always remember because our stay is always so magical.
